Baltimore

Get in on it!

Come for the fun. Stay for the memories. Baltimore is an exciting destination that offers a bounty of history, culture, sports, and special events throughout the year.

Since it was redeveloped in the late 1970s, millions of people have visited Baltimore's vibrant Inner Harbor to enjoy great restaurants, popular attractions like the National Aquarium in Baltimore and Maryland Science Center, and boat tours of all shapes and sizes. This is just the tip of the iceberg! Someone once counted 200 distinct neighborhoods in Baltimore—among them the maritime community of Fells Point, charming Little Italy, and fashionable Mount Vernon.

Baltimore is also home to several world-renowned cultural attractions and two of the most important schools for music and art in the country: the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the Maryland Institute College of Art. With so much talent it is not surprising to find celebrated arts institutions such as the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore Opera Company, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Center Stage, France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, The Baltimore Museum of Art,and Walters Art Museum, as well as numerous art galleries, theaters, and music halls.

One of Baltimore’s most significant historical landmarks is the Fort McHenry National Shrine and Monument. When the star-shaped fort was bombed by the British in 1814, its survival prompted the young attorney Francis Scott Key to write the poem that later became the national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner." The original manuscript of the poem is on display at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. For more literary inspiration, visit a house lived in by Edgar Allan Poe or his grave, which is marked by a monument erected with money collected by Baltimore teachers and schoolchildren.

Sports fans won’t want to miss the birthplace of baseball great Babe Ruth and the Sports Legends Museum. In addition to the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens professional baseball and football teams, the city hosts the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in horse racing’s prestigious Triple Crown, each May. City-wide events such as the Waterfront Festival in April, Artscape in July, and Book Festival in September attract thousands with their entertaining activities.

To learn more about Baltimore accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and events, visit the following links: